The Picks: Cowboys at Panthers

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It's not enough to say you're an enormous football fan and then just watch the games or play Fantasy Football every week. You've got to put a little skin in the game, dear readers, and make picks in public that open you up to being ridiculed if things don't go your way. Don't think about the downside, though. Think about the benefits you shall receive when your pigskin prognostications become the stuff of legend! Or just do it because all these other guys are doing it and you've got just as much chance of being right as they do.

Peter King (SI.com) - Cowboys 30, Panthers 20. After vouching for the Cowboys, King writes that he's absolutely unable to vouch for the Cowboys. Which is fair, because this isn't exactly a consistent team, but a bit hard to wrap your head around all the same.

ESPN - There's some disagreement in Bristol as 11 pickers choose the Cowboys against three for the Panthers. One of the three, Keyshawn Johnson, played for both teams. That doesn't mean anything in particular, but it must have been tough for Keyshawn.

Yahoo! Sports - Everybody's picking the Cowboys. It's two straight weeks of unanimity for the Yahoo! gang, which has to make postgame trashtalking incredibly boring.

Pete Prisco, CBSSports.com - Cowboys 31, Panthers 27. Prisco likes Romo to throw all over Carolina. Would the pick be the same if their last name's didn't end with the same letter?

The rest of CBSSports.com - It's 5-3 in favor of the Cowboys, which seems unusually close compared to the rest of the opinions on display.

Coin Flip (Home Team is Heads) - Cowboys (Coin's record: 2-3)

My Four-Year Old Son - "Why do you keep asking me this?" "It's for work. They want to know who you think will win the game." "Really?" "Sure. So who's going to win?" "I don't know, the Cowboys?" "Is that what you think." "I think so."

Me - We're not going to say this is a must-win game when there are 10 left regardless of the final score, but it's a pretty big one for the Cowboys. Two out of the next three are at home, the Cowboys could be three games back with a loss and the Panthers are the kind of team that the Cowboys have to beat if they are serious about trying for the playoffs. The thought here is that they will. Cowboys 33, Panthers 24.